Loving the idea of moving to CO... but... (Denver, Arvada: for sale, real estate market)

[Shemp65]

We're in Northern CA, where the real estate market is still hot. We bought our house in 2001 for $640K (1400 sq. ft), and just last month the house across the street sold for 1.1 million. So the market here is still going up somewhat.

But, we're a bit tired of the small house, the "closeness" to our neighbors, and the gentrification that's going on (all the "ritzy" types are moving in and building McMansions).

My company would relocate me to Colorado, and on business trips there I have fallen in love with the state. The air is so fresh, and the people seem so healthy!

Some questions: I'm interested in the Denver/Boulder/Broomfield area. What's the housing prices like there, and what are the pluses/minuses of that area?

My wife being a native San Franciscan hardly understands what a "real winter" would be like...

TIA for your advice
-brandon

[b.adams]

Your housing dollars would obviously go a lot further here.

The Boulder area is very nice. You can find older homes on acre lots 3-7 miles outside the city. You'll find Boulder is significantly more expensive than other areas, because Boulder is land-locked (surrounded by extensive greenbelts) and really has a lot of jobs for it's ~100k person size, nearly half of which is CU releated. SOme are calling Boulder the silicon valley of Colorado.

Are you looking for more land? Do you have kids that would go to school? Do you want easy access to the mtns? DO you ski? Want a fixer upper or just a bigger house that is new/newer?

Make sure you wife can handle some snow and some conservatives ...

[Mike from back east]

Having been here on biz trips, you've seen the area and have a good idea of what it's all about. We had a similar experience, coming here in 1995 to ride the tourist trains, couldn't believe the place. Just had to retire here.

From our trips to Boulder, and posts on here (you can dig them out with the Search tool) indicate Boulder is pricey but beautiful. Some folks find it too liberal for them, some say its perfect, opinions vary wildly. Major college town.

Been up to Denver many times. I find it always a great trip, busy, lots to see and do, prices range from affordable to ritzy.

Can't say if I've ever been to Broomfield. Others here will have info to offer.

As usual, we like to know more about your work, commuting is a bit of an issue here (but nothing like it was for us back in the DC area), as is the price range you're looking for. If you want to spend some time on line, visit REALTOR.com - Real Estate Listings & Homes For Sale and look at house prices/styles in your areas of interest. I certainly recommend picking a good realtor, they can be worth their weight in gold (I'm not one).

s/Mike

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Shemp65

I'm interested in the Denver/Boulder/Broomfield area. What's the housing prices like there,

Zillow - Real Estate Search Results

Zillow - Real Estate Search Results

[2bindenver]

My parents live in Mill Valley. My sister in San Rafael, my brother live is Sausalito and my aunt lives in SF...and yes I am a Real Estate Broker.

You will love the housing prices here. You will love the commute time. You will love the wide open spaces. Getting to a resort to go skiing is an hour or two - not 4 to get to Tahoe.

You have Molly Stone's - we have Molly Brown (advantage us

What will change is - we don't have fog like you do. We don't have snails. We don't have the lush tropical forest. We don't have a ferry, or toll bridges. We don't have the freshest seafood.....but on Frontier sometimes you can fly to SF or Reno for $79.

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

....We don't have the freshest seafood.....

But we do have fresh bison burgers, and I can mail order crabcakes from Faidley's in Baltimore.

[2bindenver]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

But we do have fresh bison burgers.

Yup. That would be true - oh and very fresh Rocky Mtn Oysters.

[Katiana]

I can tell you a little about Broomfield. It is a suburban city/county (same bouondaries). It has a nice sense of community about it. There is housing of all prices, ages, and sizes. It is in the north metro area.

[CapHillboy]

I've lived in two of the three you mention (Denver and Boulder) and know a bit about Broomfield from my step-daughter and accountant, so here goes.

In general, I think you'll find that all three towns have very different characters. Boulder is very much a college town in the sense that its downtown is much like other college towns (think Palo Alto, Ann Arbor, or Princeton). It is also much more progressive than either Denver or Broomfield. Broomfield is predominantly suburban (I don't believe it has ever had an area it called downtown, though I think it's working to build one) and fairly conservative, judging by its representative in the statehouse (Rep. Shawn Mitchell) as well as my accountant and step-daughter, but I could easily be wrong on this count. Denver is more of a city than either. It has a clearly defined downtown with tall buildings, distinct neighborhoods, and is pretty much the legal, financial, and political center of the state. It has a range of political personalities and, though it does tend to lean left, in true Denver fashion, never very far.


BOULDER
Pluses: Excellent independent restaurants, close to the mountains, eclectic shopping, decent public transportation, relatively compact (for a western town), good public library (especially for a city its size). A range of housing options (an expensive apartment or smallish house very close to the Pearl Street Mall, suburban housing not far from the center, medium to large houses in the foothills and mountains, or suburban residences, some on acreage). Residents also take great pride in being Boulderites, so there's a strong community in that sense.
Minuses: Very high average housing prices for CO (80302 zip around the Pearl Street Mall has a median price of over $800K, I hear), cultural entertainment limited mostly to the University, traffic (again by CO standards).

BROOMFIELD
Pluses: Much newer in general (most building happened after the 80s), proximity to Denver and Boulder, great moutain views from some housing developments, great place to raise a family (both my accountant and step-daughter really would stress this fact). Average housing prices fall between Denver and Boulder, but the houses are generally larger and definitely newer (though you may not like many of the developments filled with McMansions). Hosts one of the three top malls in the region, so if Nordstrom's, Macy's, and the specialty national chains of that level are important to you, they're all close by.
Minuses: Not many independent restaurants, not much of a sense of place (because it's fairly new, it could be just about anywhere in the US, though there are a few interesting pockets), almost no cultural entertainment (although Broomfield's new events center is hosting Cirque de Soleil).

DENVER (City only; suburbs would be a completely different list)
Pluses: Excellent independent restaurants, good range of cultural facilities, good public library, good public transportation (at least in central Denver), good range of shopping from upscale national chains (Denver hosts one of the other top malls in the area) to eclectic and ethnic independent shops, housing available in all prices ranges and styles (though you'll have to live outside Denver proper if you want a mountain or rural lifestyle). You can buy a multi-million dollar apt in an expensive neighborhood or a modest detached house of pre-war vintage for much less; it just depends.
Minuses: Traffic (depending on where you live and especially when trying to get to the mountains on just about any weekend), gentrification in many central neighborhoods--new housing, though, may be McMansions, expensive townhomes, or mult-level apts.

Finally, if you're looking in the Denver/Boulder corridor because your job will be somewhere along the Turnpike or in Boulder, you might want to consider Louisville, Lafayette, Westminster, or even Arvada. They also have their advantages. Louisville, for example, has a cute and growing downtown with larger houses than you currently have within a few miles. Louisville's housing around downtown might also appeal to you, though you might find the older houses too small, and the area is gentrifying with much larger homes, though i wouldn't call the newer housing McMansions, exactly. While they tend to be larger, their styles are much like what already exists.

[Katiana]

City & County of Broomfield

City & County of Broomfield

Entertainment : Broomfield Enterprise

BROOMFIELD
Pluses: Much newer in general (most building happened after the 80s),

Broomfield has a large older area of town, off Midway in particular. Newer houses than in "old" Louisville, but still much older than the average burb (1950s, 60s style homes).

proximity to Denver and Boulder, great moutain views from some housing developments, great place to raise a family (both my accountant and step-daughter really would stress this fact). Average housing prices fall between Denver and Boulder, but the houses are generally larger and definitely newer (though you may not like many of the developments filled with McMansions).

I think housing prices are roughly the same as in any of the suburbs.

Hosts one of the three top malls in the region, so if Nordstrom's, Macy's, and the specialty national chains of that level are important to you, they're all close by.

Which is a wonderful source of tax revenue for the city/county.


Minuses: Not many independent restaurants,

There is Papa Franks and several other places. Also, of course, Applebee's, etc, just like everywhere else.

not much of a sense of place (because it's fairly new, it could be just about anywhere in the US, though there are a few interesting pockets),

Here is where I really disagree. My kids did high school gymnastics at Broomfield High b/c that is where you do it in the Boulder Valley School District. In the seven years I had a kid on the team, I felt there was a great sense of community. It's hard to put your finger on that, but you know it's there. Broomfield Days, the 4th of July celebration, support of the high school sports are just a few examples of the sense of community there.

almost no cultural entertainment (although Broomfield's new events center is hosting Cirque de Soleil).

See the links I posted at the top of this post.

I would certainly also recommend Louisville for many of the same reasons: sense of community, community arts, etc. Housing is more expensive due to better proximity to Boulder.